Reviews by ElijahRivera:

More User Reviews:

I like what Trader Joe's does here. It goes to one of the top north American breweries specializing in Belgians and puts TJ's private label on a recipe. TJ makes many new outlets for high-quality Belgians and, I suspect, substantially boosted Unibroue sales as TJ gave them many more outlets for their beers; often selling the sampler pack.

While I drink Providential at least twice a year, I once taste-tested against two other Unibroues: Don de Dieu (a strong pale) and its world-class triple, Fin du Monde. I and my co-taster agreed there was enough of each in Providential to conclude it was something of a hybrid recipe of the two. As the years wore on, something has changed... (probably my buds) and Providential seems more its own recipe. (But that is only a consumer's guess.)

At any rate, Providential tastes great, goes well with varied appetizer-like foods and is an even better value at 20% under the competitors. I recommend doing what I do: buy Providential most times I go to TJ's and bring it to parties to introduce others to a well-made and well-priced Belgian.

Fantastic pale Belgian beer, especially considering Trader Joe's prices (and the Christmas gift card picking up the tab). It is fairly spicy and assertive, leaning mostly to a citrus flavor. Then the malts take over, ending with a long finish from the Belgian yeast. It is definitely a drink-by-the-fire, sipping quietly kind of beer but not too heavy or overly sweet. Would absolutely recommend to anyone with a Trader Joe's nearby. It is similar to Fin Du Monde, which I was actually reaching for when I saw this.

Bottle share at Proof Bottle Shop. Pours the slightly hazy color of a wit/triple, a odd pale yellow. Can we all agree that this is almost exactly like La Fin Du Monde? Really enjoyable. Tons of fruity ester. Citrusy. Hmmm, I can really dig this beer.

Poured from a 750 ml corked bottle into a Duvel tulip glass. Bottle says best before 09/28/2014.

Appearance: Pours a pale golden yellowish orange with a moderate amount of bubbles. Solid three fingers of white head which slowly fade into a thin layer. Leaves a decent amount of lacing around the glass.

Smell: A spicy and yeasty Belgian aroma with a nice kick of citrus esters. Belgian yeast with hints of clove, white and black peppers, coriander, and ginger spicing. Hints of banana, pear, and apple fruit as well as citrus orange, tangerine, grapefruit, and lemon zest. Sweet pilsner like malts with hints of biscuit, hay, grains, toast, and crackers. Fairly earthy. A nice zesty aroma.

Taste: Follows the nose with a zesty taste of yeast, spices, fruit esters, and malt. Belgian yeast with a mix of spices including white and black pepper, clove, coriander, and ginger. A variety of fruit esters with some banana, pear, apple, and grape. Notes of citrus orange, lemon zest, tangerine, and grapefruit. Sweet pale malts with notes of biscuit, wheat grains, hay, crackers, and toast. A really solid all around fruity taste.

Mouthfeel: Medium bodied with a moderate amount of carbonation. Crisp, creamy, juicy, and fairly drying on the finish. Alcohol is hidden well.

Overall: A very good take on a Belgian style pale ale. Good mix of spices and fruit esters.

Trader Joes stamp or not, what we have here is a well-crafted Belgian style pale ale from a brewery (Unibroue) that consistently males great Belgian style beers. The fruity and yeasty aroma features yellow banana, citrus fruits and apricots, It is accompanied by a complex fruity and lightly spicy flavor. Hints of white pepper, allspice and ginger.

Poured a gorgeous translucent, cloudy golden color with a one finger white head that quickly receded. The body is fantastic, but the head was a bit disappointing for a Belgian Ale. Scents of apricot, bright notes of orange flesh, allspice, white pepper, clove and a slight sugar cookie sweetness. A nice, bright, fruity aroma with a good Belgian yeast spicy undercurrent. Fruity, spicy and complex, a nice Belgian Pale Ale aroma. Flavor begins delicately sweet with a moscato-like character, some tangerine sweetness and a hint of white pepper. This moves into a middle that is still modestly sweet, but slightly spicier with notes of apricot, tangerine, earthy, spicy Unibroue yeast, white pepper, clove and allspice. Finish is medium-sweet with notes of apricot, white pepper, allspice and clove. Aftertaste is sweet and spicy with notes of candi sugar, allspice and clove. A flavor profile that follows the aroma and is brightly, fruity and spicy. Quite pleasant. Mouthfeel is light-bodied, somewhat watery with effervescent carbonation. Very pleasant to drink, quite easy going down and very refreshing. Overall this is a nice Belgian Pale Ale. It's refreshing and bright, with a wonderful aroma and flavor that are still modestly complex. The mouthfeel aids this overall impression and creates a wonderfully drinkable Belgian Pale Ale.

T: No booziness, despite the 7.5 ABV. A touch watery, but not exactly a session ale, due to the intense aromas that accompany it. Wet and spicy, not a whole lot of flavor from the grains.

M: Smooth body, mild, but prickly carbonation. Not much to say. Water.

O: Not a whole lot of balance. The wheat is mellow, the spices are in-your-face, and there isn't much else to say. Reasonably priced, but for a store that sells their delightful vintage ale, I was disappointed. Might buy again to cellar for two years, might not. Depends on whether I go back to Trader Joe's before I forget this brew exists.

A: Pours a hazy opaque light golden with a full dense white head. Tons of visible carbonation shooting from the bottom of the glass. The head sticks around for quite a long time making this one enticing beer.

S: Orange, pale malts and belgian yeast are the first thing that comes to the nose. Spiciness that one would anticipate from a wit beer or a lighter tripel.

T: Nice blend going on here. It has a pretty solid pale malt backing that is complimented by a dose of orange peel, spice and belgian yeast. Very authentic to the style its well balanced in its approach. A bit sweet, bitterness is minimal.

M: Fairly light body for such a strong brew, good carbonation makes it an easy drinker. Has a touch of stickiness from the sweetness.

Overall this is tasty and a steal of a deal from Trader Joes. Will be picking up more of these down the line. Great presentation, taste and ABV for its price point. Reminds me of a La Fin Du Monde mixed with a Blanche De Chambly.

Clean malt aroma (Pils?) along with hints of orange zest, coriander, and a hefty dose of distinctive yeast.

Initially sweet with notes of pear and golden raisin. Very mild bitterness with a gentle herbal/peppery noble hop flavor fading away in the face of the phenols and alcohol. Becomes increasingly dry into the finish which has faint mineral and metallic qualities.

Medium-bodied, effervescent, fully carbonated, zesty.

A very nice offering from Unibroue, on par with their regular offerings but at a good discount in comparison.

Aroma: Spices, candy sugar, Belgian yeast, and plenty of fruity notes. Very very striking and nice.

Taste: Spectacular, sweet, and fruity on the palate with plenty of spice accents. Very much in line with a classic Abbey ale. A hint of floral notes dance around the tongue, with a flash of hops near the finish. The body is light, even spritzy and champagne-like, adding a level of drinkability. A very complex, rewarding, and refreshing Belgian-style ale here, and well worth checking out (especially as it was only around $5.99 a bomber at Trader Joe’s).

Unibroue's classic 750mL cork-topped bottle. Best before 02-04-2015. Served in pint glass. Beer pours pale yellow in color, slightly hazy, with a pretty nice white head. Aroma is yeasty, and has an unfortunate banana ester smell (though I'm sure others may appreciate that more than I do). Flavor is pretty mild, continuing with the fruity theme, and adding a very gentle spicing. Despite not having any of my favorite flavors in a Belgian strong pale ale, it's supremely drinkable, and doesn't expose any of it's 7.5 ABVs. It would be interesting to try this side by side with Don De Dieu, or even Blanche De Chambly -- I'm pretty sure I remember liking either of those a lot more than this one.